So when I heard that Provenance, the New York City-based organic meal delivery service, was collaborating with Taryn to offer a new 10-day cleanse founded on the same principles as The Layer, I was excited to sign on. The concept is pretty straightforward: no gluten, dairy, refined sugar, caffeine, GMS, refined vegetable oils, poultry, red meat, corn, and soy.  Also, no kitchen prep and no clean up. 

My first delivery from The Cleanse plan arrived on a Monday between 5 and 8am. Inside, there were 48-hours worth of meals, including breakfast, lunch, dinner and a snack for each day. The diet is devised to work as a gradual detox rather than one big shock to the system: Breakfast is nearly always a Cacao Maca antioxidant or Supergreen detox shake, or vanilla chia pudding and berry compote. Lunch and dinner are where it gets a little more complex:  Days 1 through 5 are all about nourishing whole gluten-free grains like beet muhammara with za'atar crisps, warming lentil soup with lemon parsley gremolata, and zucchini noodles with Brazil nut pesto, plus lots of vegetables. Typically, pasture-raised eggs and fish are also incorporated in this time frame for omnivores, but since Provenance adapts their menu to any kind of plant-based diet and I'm a lifelong vegetarian who occasionally eats seafood and cheese, I challenged myself with a vegan version of the plan. 

During Days 6-10, The Cleanse steps up the anti-inflammatory criteria (and, if you're an omnivore,  phases out all animal proteins).  Meals like green pea fritters with almond sauce, Catalan cauliflower with romesco and Spanish olives, and red bean borscht with coconut cream were genuinely delicious and filling—even my husband, David, who is a meat eater, was enthusiastic. 

Two weeks into the cleanse, we both felt a huge difference. Is it difficult? Sometimes, yes. But my mood was calmer. My energy was more sustainable. And I made a few discoveries along the way. Since last summer, I've been gravitating away from seafood—the micro plastics conversation with fish bothers me. Ten days of delicious and thoughtful options that left me satisfied without it made me wonder if I should just continue to eat vegan. I felt great! 

The two things that were hard to give up? Caffeine (I've written about my struggle with this before—if you have tips, please send!). And parmesan cheese—I might just have to be the vegan who always puts a bit on her pasta.

Stay tuned, and in the meantime, here's a quick look at 10 of my favorite Provenance meals in 10 days (and a peek at the pretty amazing full menu). It was super hard to pick!"

xx Gucci